Playoff Watch 2019: Analyzing postseason picture post-Daytona

From now until the regular-season finale at Indianapolis on Sept. 8, NASCAR.com will analyze the playoff picture on Mondays. Here's how the postseason looks through 18 regular-season races (out of 26) after Justin Haley's win at Daytona -- note that Haley is not eligible for the NASCAR Playoffs as a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver.


A few reminders:

-- All point totals are reset to 2,000 for the 16 eligible playoff drivers.

-- Drivers earn 5 playoff points for each of their regular-season wins.

-- Drivers earn 1 playoff point for each stage win.

-- The top 10 finishers in the regular-season standings earn playoff points on a sliding scale, starting with 15 points for the Regular Season Champion and ending one point for the 10th-place finisher.

Missing the cut

The race for the final few playoff spots is one to watch for the remaining eight races. Daniel Suarez slipped from 14th in the postseason picture to outside entirely, joining Erik Jones as the last two drivers below the cutoff line. Austin Dillon, who made the playoffs last year, also is below the line.

16. Ryan Newman, 2,000 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 0

Note: Newman's strategy of staying safe at Daytona and being there at the end paid off. He mostly avoided the late 'Big One' and finished fifth, his best showing of the year, to re-enter the postseason picture.

15. Jimmie Johnson, 2,000 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 0

Note: Johnson notched his best finish of the season for the second consecutive week, gaining valuable points on the bubble line.

14. Clint Bowyer, 2,000 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 0

Note: Bowyer was attempting to pass Austin Dillon for the lead with 35 laps to go when contact between the two cars keyed a massive wreck. He's finished worse than 30th in three of the past four races.

13. Aric Almirola, 2,001 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 0

Note: Almirola jumps from 16th in the playoff field to 13th by virtue of the one playoff point he earned this week for climbing to 10th in the regular-season standings.

12. William Byron, 2,001 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 1

Note: A runner-up finish for William Byron, and suddenly a regular-season finish inside the top 10 in the standings doesn't seem far-fetched.

11. Ryan Blaney, 2,002 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 2

Note: Blaney's top-10 finish streak ended in a big way with a 36th on Sunday.

10. Kyle Larson, 2,003 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 3

Note: Larson has flashed speed throughout the year, but is mired in a winless streak going on two years.

9. Kurt Busch, 2,003 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 0

Note: The call to pit with one lap to go under caution was logical, but Kurt was on the wrong side of a lightning strike that forced a red flag -- and the race never refired.

8. Alex Bowman, 2,007 points

Qualified via: 1 win (Chicagoland)

Stage wins: 0

Note: Hendrick continues to flash speed, so Bowman continues to be a threat to win on any track type.

7. Chase Elliott, 2,011 points

Qualified via: 1 win (Talladega)

Stage wins: 2

Note: Elliott couldn't make it two consecutive wins at superspeedways, but it wasn't for lack of speed.

6. Kevin Harvick, 2,012 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 4

Note: It's hard to believe Harvick's best finish this year is fourth place -- although he has five such finishes.

5. Denny Hamlin, 2,018 points

Qualified via: 2 wins (Daytona 500, Texas)

Stage wins: 3

Note: Keep an eye on the battle between Hamlin and Chase Elliott in the regular-season standings -- just three points separate 'em.

4. Brad Keselowski, 2,026 points

Qualified via: 3 wins (Atlanta, Martinsville, Kansas)

Stage wins: 4

Note: An ace superspeedway racer, Keselowski left Daytona with a torn-up race car.

3. Martin Truex Jr., 2,028 points

Qualified via: 4 wins (Richmond, Dover, Coca-Cola 600, Sonoma)

Stage wins: 2

Note: Truex Jr. heads to one of his best tracks on the circuit on Kentucky, where a bounty of playoff points could push him even higher in the playoff standings.

2. Joey Logano, 2,032 points

Qualified via: 2 wins (Las Vegas, Michigan)

Stage wins: 7

Note: Logano added a stage win at Daytona, and he would be the Regular-Season Champion if the season ended today.

1. Kyle Busch, 2,035 points

Qualified via: 4 wins (ISM Raceway at Phoenix, Auto Club, Bristol-1, Pocono-1)

Stage wins: 5

Note: Busch remains the top seed for the NASCAR Playoffs and has eight races to pad his lead.